Thursday, February 7, 2013

Award-winning Observer cartoonist Kevin Siers doesn't like to brag, but he's been bestowed with another honor: He's one of 37 journalists on the NRA's anti-gun list.

"I'm just glad to be recognized for a job well done," Siers said today, looking down at the carpet.

The NRA's list includes more than 500 organizations, corporations, celebrities and others who the NRA deems hostile. Siers is lumped in with such other well-known scourges as the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, the National Association of Police Organizations, Hallmark and the Kansas City Chiefs. The list singles out companies, organizations and people that together cover pretty much all of America. Heck, even the American Firearms Association makes the NRA's anti-gun list.

The list came out last September but is only now being publicized. The NRA declined comment on it to the Washington Post on Tuesday.

Much congratulations Kevin! The bullies of the NRA have intimidated and outright purchased so many congressmen and legislators, the only way to fight their unreasonable agenda is with ridicule, satire, and well-deserved scorn.

Siers's problem is that he portrays those he disagrees with in personally-insulting terms. These two cartoons are perfect examples: he portrays LaPierre as a foaming-at-the-mouth lunatic and the generic NRA member as overweight and unintelligent.

I challenge Mr. Siers to use the recent revelations about Obama's targeted assassination program to portray the President as mentally defective. Or to draw the First Lady in a manner that emphasizes her voluminous posterior.

ACtually, Wayne LaPierre IS a foaming at the mouth lunatic. During the '08 election, he said Obama was going to confiscate all guns, that was his agenda. When Obama never even mentioned guns during his first term, LaPierre then changed his story to say the President was just sandbagging, that the gun confiscation would begin with the President's SECOND term. Plenty of easily duped members believed him.

In fact, the President has proposed no such thing, just sane, logical measures designed to keep high-powered military assault weaponry out of the hands of unstable individuals - a position most Americans support.

The NRA has a history of spreading disinformation about gun control and fomenting mass hysteria among its members. It's clear they must be marginalized and discredited for any progress to occur on this issue.

I sure hope Sier's next cartoon is of the young thug at North Meck, who decided to take a gun on campus today. Maybe he can tie this into the "white guilt" story and prove that his white middle class female teacher caused him to do this.

Of course, you have to write an article to tell people about your badge of honor, because no one really cares or even knows who you are. You draw cartoons in a cell dwelling newspaper, pretty sure the NRA has more going on than to spend any time worrying about you.

About this blog

The Observer's editorial board cares deeply about Charlotte and the Carolinas, and has a problem with public officials who have forgotten that they report to citizens. Editorial page editor Taylor Batten and associate editors Peter St. Onge and Eric Frazier tackle politics and public policy issues locally, across the state and nation. Kevin Siers tackles those issues too in cartoons. Read their columns and biographical information on the CharlotteObserver.com Opinion page.